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The Northern Dispensary is and old triangular-shaped building in New York (165 Waverly Place, Greenwich Village). "The City of New York established a Dispensary for the treatment of the poor in 1791 in the neighborhood of City Hall. But as the city grew it quickly became apparent that the single infirmary was insufficient. In 1824 citizens pushed for a provincial branch far to the north in Greenwich Village. After working from a few temporary locations, the nonprofit Northern Dispensary organization was given the peculiar triangle of land formed where the Y-shaped Waverly Place runs into Grove and Christopher Streets. In handing over the plot, the City placed a stipulation on the property: it was to be used solely for the purpose of treating the indigent who could not afford hospital care. Built by a mason, John Tucker, and a carpenter, Henry Bayard, it was completed in 1831. The unimposing orange-brick structure was two stories tall, surrounding by the simple cast iron fence with acorn finials and occasional Federal-style palmettes still intact today. Over the door a marble plaque was inset into the facade which reads: Northern Dispensary. Instituted 1827. Built 1831. Heal The Sick"1.